Media-editing application with anchored timeline

Abstract

A media application of some embodiments includes a timeline, which is a composite display area for displaying media clips that are part of the composite media presentation. The timeline of some embodiments includes a primary lane called a spine as well as one or more anchor lanes. The spine represents a primary sequence of media, which, in some embodiments, does not have any gaps. When a clip is deleted or removed from the timeline, the media-editing applications automatically closes the gap created in place of the clip. The clips in the anchor lanes are anchored to a particular position along the spine. Anchor lanes may be used for compositing (e.g., removing portions of one video and showing a different video in those portions), B-roll cuts (i.e., cutting away from the primary video to a different video whose clip is in the anchor lane), audio clips, or other composite presentation techniques.

We claim: 
     
       1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for creating a composite media presentation from a plurality of media clips which when executed by at least one processing unit presents a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:
 a preview display area for displaying the composite media presentation; 
 a composite display area for placing media clips to specify the composite media presentation, the composite display area comprising:
 a first playhead for specifying an editing position; and 
 a second playhead for specifying a skimming position based on a position of a position indicator in the composite display area, wherein as the second playhead moves in the composite display area, the preview display area displays frames associated with the skimming positions in the composite display area that are traversed by the second playhead, 
 
 wherein when (i) the second playhead intersects a primary clip that is displayed as a part of the composite media presentation and a secondary clip that is not displayed as a part of the composite media presentation and (ii) the position indicator does not specify a position on either of the primary and secondary media clips, the preview display area displays frames of the primary media clip. 
 
     
     
       2. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein when the position indicator is not positioned in the composite display area, the preview display area displays frames associated with the first playhead. 
     
     
       3. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein when the position indicator is not positioned in the composite display area, the second playhead is not displayed in the composite display area. 
     
     
       4. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the GUI further comprises a user interface (UI) item for initiating playback of the composite media presentation, wherein selection of the UI item initiates playback from the editing position specified by the first playhead. 
     
     
       5. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for creating a composite media presentation from a plurality of media clips which when executed by at least one processing unit presents a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:
 a preview display area for displaying the composite media presentation; 
 a composite display area for placing media clips to specify the composite media presentation, the composite display area comprising:
 a first playhead for specifying an editing position; 
 a second playhead for specifying a skimming position based on a position of a position indicator in the composite display area, wherein as the second playhead moves in the composite display area, the preview display area displays frames associated with the skimming positions in the composite display area that are traversed by the second playhead, 
 
 wherein when (i) the second playhead intersects a primary clip that is displayed as a part of the composite media presentation and a secondary clip that is not displayed as a part of the composite media presentation and (ii) the position indicator indicates a position on the secondary clip, the preview display area displays frames of the secondary clip. 
 
     
     
       6. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 5 , wherein selection of a position in the composite display area sets the editing position of the first playhead. 
     
     
       7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 5 , wherein the GUI further comprises a user interface (UI) item for initiating playback of the composite media presentation, wherein selection of the UI item initiates playback from the editing position specified by the first playhead. 
     
     
       8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 5 , wherein when the position indicator is not positioned in the composite display area, the preview display area displays frames associated with the first playhead. 
     
     
       9. A method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:
 providing a preview display area for displaying a composite media presentation; 
 providing a composite display area for placing media clips to specify the composite media presentation, the composite display area comprising:
 a first playhead for specifying an editing position; and 
 a second playhead for specifying a skimming position based on a position of a position indicator in the composite display area, wherein as the second playhead moves in the composite display area, the preview display area displays frames associated with the skimming positions in the composite display area that are traversed by the second playhead, 
 wherein when (i) the second playhead intersects a primary clip that is displayed as a part of the composite media presentation and a secondary clip that is not displayed as a part of the composite media presentation and (ii) the position indicator does not specify a position on either of the primary and secondary media clips, the preview display area displays frames of the primary media clip. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein when the position indicator is not positioned in the composite display area, the preview display area displays frames associated with the first playhead. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein when the position indicator is not positioned in the composite display area, the second playhead is not displayed in the composite display area. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9  further comprising providing a user interface (UI) item for initiating playback of the composite media presentation, wherein selection of the UI item initiates playback from the editing position specified by the first playhead. 
     
     
       13. A method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:
 providing a preview display area for displaying a composite media presentation; 
 providing a composite display area for placing media clips to specify the composite media presentation, the composite display area comprising:
 a first playhead for specifying an editing position; 
 a second playhead for specifying a skimming position based on a position of a position indicator in the composite display area, wherein as the second playhead moves in the composite display area, the preview display area displays frames associated with the skimming positions in the composite display area that are traversed by the second playhead; and 
 
 wherein when (i) the second playhead intersects a primary clip that is displayed as a part of the composite media presentation and a secondary clip that is not displayed as a part of the composite media presentation and (ii) the position indicator indicates a position on the secondary clip, the preview display area displays frames of the secondary clip. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein selection of a position in the composite display area sets the editing position of the first playhead. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13  further comprising providing a user interface (UI) item for initiating playback of the composite media presentation, wherein selection of the UI item initiates playback from the editing position specified by the first playhead. 
     
     
       16. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for creating a composite media presentation from a plurality of media clips which when executed by at least one processing unit presents a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:
 a composite display area for placing media clips to specify the composite media presentation; 
 a preview display area for concurrently displaying two frames of the composite media presentation when an edit is being performed in the composite display area, wherein the preview display area is further for displaying a single frame of the composite media presentation when no edit is being performed. 
 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the two frames are a last frame of the composite presentation before an edit point and the first frame of the composite presentation after the edit point, the edit point indicating a boundary of an edit applied to the composite presentation. 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the two frames of the preview display area are continuously updated as the edit is being performed. 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the edit is at least one of a ripple edit, a slide edit, and a slip edit. 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the two displayed frames of the preview display area have different dimensions.